The choice among different materials, products and systems employed in the construction sector may take into consideration economic, social, cultural and environmental criteria. In the case of plumbing fixtures, economic evaluation and water consumption comparisons are the most frequently used criteria. This paper aims to propose a method for quantifying the energy consumption of plumbing fixtures based on the concept of Life Cycle Assessment. Such estimate allows a comparison between the performances of different plumbing fixtures in terms of energy consumption. The proposed method was applied in a case study to quantify energy consumption in the life cycle of two types of taps. The total energy consumption in the life cycle of conventional and water-saving taps used in the study was, respectively, 151.66 MJ and 127.58 MJ. The use phase accounts for 64.6% of energy consumption for conventional taps and 56.5% for self-closing taps. The proposed method has shown to be adequate for quantifying energy consumption in the life cycle and subsequent choice among different plumbing fixtures that perform the same function.
Life Cycle Assessment; Energy consumption; Plumbing fixtures
